Owning your own aircraft means having the freedom to take to the skies any time the urge strikes you. When you get to enjoy such a privilege, you are experiencing a luxury that is generally reserved for a select few. Of course, if you do own your own plane, you also have a grasp on the responsibility that comes with it. After all, to get to this point you had to study hard, spend many hours training in the cockpit, and pass your pilot’s exam. Additionally, when you purchased your aircraft, you had to file a Form AC 8050-1, also known as an aircraft registration application. While this was, in some ways, the first step in your journey with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) paperwork, it was not by any means the last stop. As a plane owner, you have a duty to submit an aircraft registration renewal on occasion, and at the National Aviation Center, we can help you do it online.
We get it–you want to spend as little time as possible doing FAA paperwork. To be fair, you did not get into aviation for the bureaucratic responsibilities that come with it. Still, as an airman, the onus is on you to stay current with the FAA, which is important for a number of reasons. For one, the FAA is tasked with regulating the skies of the United States, which is no minor job. In order to craft effective regulations and issue sound safety guidelines, they need to maintain a thorough registry of who and what is in the air. It is with this mission in mind that your information should be as up-to-date as possible with the FAA.
When Do You Need to File an Aircraft Registration Renewal?
When you first assumed ownership of your aircraft, you took the proper steps to register it with the FAA. In doing this, you were assigned an N-number (also called a “tail number”) and given a certificate of documentation. As the years have passed, however, you may have noticed a letter in the mail advising you that it is time to renew your registration. Specifically, the FAA will ask you to do this once every three years. About six months ahead of your registration’s expiration date, you will receive a renewal notice from the FAA that will include a security code. You will need to use that code on your renewal form, so it is important to hold on to that letter. An additional notice will be sent out eight weeks before your registration expires as well, provided you have not renewed it yet.
Completing Your Renewal Online
While you do have the option to complete a paper renewal with the FAA, it can be a tedious process. You will need to complete the form by hand in black ink and mail it to the FAA’s offices in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Of course, you also have the option of working with us to do this online. With just a handful of details–and your renewal code–you can complete your renewal application using our streamlined web form. By utilizing our SSL-encrypted web portal, you can process your renewal form in just minutes. To learn more, contact us by phone or email today.